How to Improve The Headlights in Your Classic Car for CHEAP! 

I'm glad to see that there actually is other people that actually defend the glass sealed beam lights. I can't stand those stupid cheap ebay/Amazon lights that have like 30 cheap little LED bulbs in them, they look super tacky,blind other drivers and don't work all that well and they are super poor quality and if one of those led burns out you have to throw the whole thing away. The automakers used sealed beam lights for over 60+ years there's nothing wrong with them, the Chevy express vans up until about 07 or 08 used sealed beam lights as well.

I mean you probably already know, but one of the first things we did on VWs was install a headlight relay harness. Took the headlight bulb voltage from somewhere around 10.5v going through the factory headlight switch to the full 14v alternator voltage. That alone often made such a huge difference. Couple that with H4 euro-code housings and i've never had better headlights.

Great upgrade for when the old car windows get fogged to fuck and you can't see shit

This is an excellent tip, and I never considered doing it! Bout to order 3...

Thanks for making this I was always in a bind on how to help make my project cars look original with the lights but be brighter/modern, or work as bright as they did back when these cars were new. . i have a 1969 c10 and a 1965 chevelle malibu.

Wow, somebody that actually knows what they're talking about when it comes to headlights! Personally I will defend sealed beams until the day I day, because I absolutely DESPISE LEDs in all forms. Another common problem I see people have is just the fact the headlights aren't aimed correctly. On every classic vehicle I've seen the headlights have little set screws around them, and you can actually adjsut the position of the light. If you just slap em in there and they're not aimed very well it's gonna leave you with poor visibility at night, no matter how bright they are.

Very helpful. I had heard of using relays and thought about trying them on my 74 C10. Now that you demoed the results I'm going with the relay option. If that's not enough I'll go the full route and swap the sealed beams. Either way it's going to give me better lights. Mine are damn near yellow.

Nice video. I actually did my headlight relay harness kit and round led on my 84 c10 shorty i converted the front end to a 79 few years ago. I purchased off of LMCtruck. I just need a LS like yours now

Good information thanks for sharing

Finally someone who promotes a sponsor that is actually useful

Great video, as always. I still miss sealed beam bulbs. Doing away with those was the dumbest thing carmakers ever did.

The shark has officially been jumped lolol😂

i have no problem with round sealed beams, but i run a 14.8 volt alternator,. and usually a lot these sealed beam lights need a really good GROUND to fuction properly !

Welcome back!! This is an old school RU-vid channel and one of my favorites.

Nice video. Very informative.

I was loosing .7 volts at the fuse panel until I put new larger battery and alternator wire in my square.

Thanks for the information 👍

You need to check the voltage at the headlight when the lights are on. That's when you get the voltage drop.

Thanks man, yeh I did try new ground wires and replace the light switch in my 66 chevy short bed few years ago, but the voltage was never as much as at the battery, definitely going to try the relay harness.

Damn, those look really nice

I tried an ebay relay harness in my Comet. The wires got hot to the touch, because those cheap Chinese harnesses use cheap wire - the insulation looks normal and thick, but there is about 1/3 as much copper strands inside. So I made my own relay harness from real 14 gauge wire with a 12 gauge wire feeding it from the starter relay, and problem solved.

What happened on my 78 courier was the headlights didn't work until I cleaned the fuses, sure I had voltage but I couldn't get voltage with current due to oxidation on the fuse.

I liked the part where you sit in a more appropriate position 😂🇦🇺

I did just whats in this video, my lights has never been brighter,. this is thew way to go

17:49 is the LSX conversion required for brighter headlights? More power = more bright?

Yeah, those "bug eye" headlights are tacky. But apparently, there are enough tacky people out there to keep them in production.

Hella has always made glass headlights with replaceable bulbs NAPA sells them cheap, I’d rather have them than the China Holley ones

Pretty sweet you've got a sponsor. I hate LED headlight so much it's unreal. Every single person on the road cannot seem to aim their lights. They are not suppose to get high enough to reach my eyes. What the hell are you trying to see, the road is down. The hell are you shining your headlights up for? WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO SEE?? But thankyou for showing people a cheap alternative that doesn't involve those ugly aftermarket abominations. I daily drive a classic car, and it is so disheartening to see people putting those in and somehow liking the way they look. But i guess people also put those boomer cruiser tiny steering wheels in cars, so maybe i'm just wrong. I don't want ford explorer bucket seats in my car, i don't want gay tackon cupholders, and i surely do not want to accessorize every part of my life like a teenage girl.

So, is more light always better? I put new halogen bulbs in my square body pickup and they are fine. and they don't blind other drivers. I put new LED bulbs in my wife's accord, and the pattern is junk.

The headlight on my motorcycle is piss poor. I'll have to do these tests and I'll probably end up replacing the bulb like you did. Thanks for the video!

Dope as frig

where yugo part 4?

I just get the better ones and plenty good enough for me. Love bugging my buddy’s with there headlights that cost more then my entire truck lol

The sealed beams on my '85 Grand Marquis are okay but they still greatly outshine the shitty composite headlights on my '95 Caprice. Me being in Finland, LEDs are illegal, YAY! So even though others can see me and aren't blinded, I can't see shit. Relaying the headlights is on the to-do list for the Grand Marquis, but not for the Caprice because it's canadian spec and has a convoluted and dumb factory DRL setup.

Most of these so called car guys are home before the street lights come on!

For all those who can't watch the whole video for stupid reasons, you owe it to yourself to watch it at 15:45 . Thanks for saying this. So many awful designs out there.

did this years ago on '78 C10